S.B. 46 Water Wise Landscaping Amendments

What this bill does

S.B. 46 adds definitions for terms such as active use, canopy, functional turf, and waterwise landscaping. It sets waterwise landscaping practices that apply to state government facilities, and according to a committee response, only to new buildings.

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Every vote

• 28 yes, 0 no, 1 absentFinal Senate vote · Jan 21, 2026
• 12 yes, 0 no, 2 absentHouse Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 5, 2026Who voted how
• 59 yes, 11 no, 5 absentFinal House vote · Feb 11, 2026

Hearings and debates

• Jan 21, 2026 Senate floor debate▶ Watch
  Transcript (7 turns)

  1. Sen. Keven J. Stratton37:17

     Thank you Mr. President. Appreciate the offer of, uh, taking a break. Rake Waterwise Landscaping Amendments. This is a piece of Legisl legislation came through the Legislative Water Development Commission. This is something we've been working on for, uh, two years with the across, uh, fields with the national and, and our good, uh, experts here within the state. This, uh, the intent of this bill is to create a pattern that we, we can look to and a definition we can look to, to what water-wise landscaping can be defined as we have. The bill itself applies specifically to state government facilities, but creates a pattern. And, uh, uh, a codified definition that can be used is as needed in and desired, uh, across the state introduces several important terms, active use, uh, for, for our turf, uh, canopy. What, what the canopy means. We have, uh, then certainly the what Waterwise Landscaping means. It's, uh, installation of plant materials, uh, suited to the microclimate soil conditions that that can remain healthy. Uh, minimizing the use of water be maintained, uh, or be maintained with, with the, using the technology that we have available today to make sure that we're being very effective and wise in our use of water. Uh, and the application, as we know, 90% of the moisture that falls in our state is, uh, goes to groundwater evaporation. Uh, we have 10% that is used in agriculture and to replenish our surface, uh, ecosystem that we have. That Mr. President, I'll be glad to yield. Any questions? Senator Stratton? I don't see any questions. I'm may go to you for a motion. Thank you. I'll waive, uh, summation and call the question.

  2. Senate President (presiding)39:22

     Thank you. And the question is, shall Senate Bill 46 pass roll co vote under suspension the rules.

  3. Senate clerk (roll call)39:27

     Senator Vickers Baldry Lewin Brammer Bus Colmore Escamia Aye. Fillmore Grover Harper Hankins Ipson Johnson McKay. K Juab Aye. Mikel Aye. Milner Musselman Owens Pitcher Plum Rebe Sandal Aye. Stevenson Stratton Aye. Vickers Aye. Weiler Aye. Wilson Aye. Winterton Aye. President Adams I Aye.

  4. Senate President (presiding)40:17

     Senate Bill 46, having received 28 yay votes, zero nay votes, one being absent passes, this body will be sent to the house for their consideration. Now, Senate Bill 30, Senate bill one 30 River Restoration Amendments. Senator Fillmore, Let me call that again. Senate Bill one 30, Senate bill one 30, river Restoration Amendments. Senator Fillmore.

  5. Sen. Lincoln Fillmore40:39

     Senator Fillmore, thank you. Uh, motion to circle.

  6. Senate President (presiding)40:42

     Motion to circle. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Rule. That motion passes the Bill of Circle Senate Bill 19, Senate Bill 19 Digital Evidence Amendments. Senator Weiler. Senator Weiler.

  7. Sen. Todd Weiler40:58

     Thank you Mr. President. My favorite bills have a story behind them. So I'd like to briefly tell you the story behind this bill. Um, I was approached by some defense attorneys last year, and I ran a bill last session. Um, and basically they were saying sometimes law enforcement will seize a computer or a cell phone or an I, uh, iPad, and they never give it back. And so I ran a bill that said, Hey, you ought give it back within 30 days. And, um, and, and I kind of kicked a hornet's nest and I started learning a lot more about what's going on. And so this is what I found out, Mr. President.

• Feb 2, 2026 House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
• Feb 5, 2026 House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee▶ Watch
  Transcript (17 turns)

  1. Committee chair1:12:56

     You've been patient. Uh, I'll let you go with Senate Bill 46 water wise landscaping amendments. Senator, go ahead.

  2. Sen. Keven J. Stratton1:13:05

     Thank you, chair. These are a lot of good water policy issues you have on the agenda. It's good to see 'em continue to be presented and, and moving along. Everybody brought their waiters today. We're ready. Ready to go. Waterwise Landscaping Amendments. Uh, this bill we've been working on a couple of years with, uh, a lot of the stakeholders and, uh, even, uh, nationally watching what we're doing here. But I, uh, am grateful for the opportunity to, to be in this committee today. Appreciate your, your good work and, and, uh, the vetting that you're doing. This bill does several things. It, it creates, uh, some definitions we haven't had in code and, uh, makes a few technical changes. And, and, uh, this really represents from my perspective, a good, balanced, best practices approach as we move forward in our efforts. Not only to to create, uh, beautiful, uh, landscapes consistent with the, the great diversity we have here in our state, but also to be wise in the water use of those landscapes. As you look at this, there's several definitions. Uh, line 26, we define active use. And then, uh, on line 35, uh, canopy, what that means, 39 functional turf, a definition there. And then we get, uh, to line 81 Waterwise landscaping and, and what that means and how to implement it. I just note that this is intended for the state and the state facilities to be, uh, be be the model example and allow then, uh, hopefully those best practices by, by showing the way to be, be followed as as we go throughout the state. With that, I'll be glad to answer any questions.

  3. Committee chair1:14:59

     Thank you, Senator. Questions from the committee?

  4. Unknown committee member1:15:06speaker not certain

     I I did have one question. Senator. Uh, does this just apply to public facilities?

  5. Sen. Keven J. Stratton1:15:17

     It apply. Thank you. Chair State government facilities? Correct. The state owned facility, uh, after commencing, when, when, and if a bit comes into, into, uh, into the code.

  6. Committee chair1:15:30

     Okay. Thank you. Questions from the committee?

  7. Unknown committee member1:15:34speaker not certain

     Representative chair, vice Chairship. Yeah, Senator. Uh, so this just affects any new buildings, or do they have to go back and redo their landscape on older buildings?

  8. Sen. Keven J. Stratton1:15:50

     This just affects new buildings and the thought is, is gonna be so beautiful and so appropriate that everybody's gonna be just following on themselves to do it. Okay. Thank you.

  9. Committee chair1:15:59

     Thank you. Any other comments? Seeing none. I'll open that up for public comment. Anyone in the room would like to comment? Seeing none. Anyone online? Nobody online. I'll close public comment, bring it back to the committee for further discussion or action.

  10. Committee chair1:16:21

      Representative Koford.

  11. Rep. Jill Koford1:16:23

      Thank you Mr. Chair. I'd like to move that we pass out with a favorable recommendation, SB 46 waterwise L Landscaping Amendments.

  12. Committee chair1:16:32

      Would you like to speak to that motion?

  13. Unknown committee member1:16:34speaker not certain

      I agree with the good Senator. I think the state should set the tone and the example. And I think this is a great first step

  14. Committee chair1:16:41

      Discussion to the motion. Seeing none back to the sponsor for summation.

  15. Sen. Keven J. Stratton1:16:47

      Great. Grateful for the, the motion and the effort. I just point out that this is, uh, this had a lot of vetting, uh, legislative Water Development Commission, uh, as well. And, uh, appreciate your consideration moving forward.

  16. Committee chair1:17:02

      Thank you to the maker of the mo waive. All right. I'll place the motion that we pass out with the favorable recommendation seven Senate Bill 46 Waterwise Landscaping Amendment by Senator Stratton. All in favors say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed?

  17. Committee chair1:17:25

      We have our good speaker joining us today. That's the, that's impressive. Two meetings in a room. He's doing better than I am. That's good. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Keep up The great work. Thank you. All right, we're gonna go back to item three,

• Feb 11, 2026 House floor debate▶ Watch
  Transcript (7 turns)

  1. Unknown speaker31:50speaker not certain

     Senate Bill 46 Waterwise Landscaping Amendments by Senator Stratton. This bill was heard in Natural Resources, agriculture and Environment with a vote of 12 0 2. The House sponsors Representative Snider.

  2. Speaker (presiding)32:03

     Representative Snider.

  3. Rep. Ryan D. Wilcox32:05speaker not certain

     Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the last couple of years, the legislature has made systematic changes in water law and identified areas of active use as it results to turf functional turf canopy, a whole host of definitions as it relates to the application of water in various settings. And this bill simply expounds on some of those definitions to provide more clarity as we enforce some of those provisions in code. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I yield to any questions.

  4. Speaker (presiding)32:36

     Thank you, Representative Snider. Discussion to the bill.

  5. Rep. Casey Snider32:42

     See none. Back to your representative. Cider for Snyder. For summation, I waive. Thank you.

  6. Speaker (presiding)32:46

     Summation has been waived. Voting will now be open on SB 46.

  7. Speaker (presiding)33:29speaker not certain

     Representative Christofferson representative represent Val Peterson, seeing all president having voted voting is now closed. SB 46 passed his body of 59 yes votes 11, no votes and will be sent to the Senate for the, or sorry, signed by the speaker and sent to the Senate for the signature of the President.